Ignition apparatus



Y YJan. 24, 1933. 1 ARTHUR K 1,895,119

IGNITION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 3o, 1931v 2 sheets-sneerl 1 MKM 776595 0f l/caaw, Werte( Jan. 24, 19433. y l l J, L, ARTHUR 1,895,119

IGNITION APPARATUS K Filed Dc, 50, 1931 i 2 ysheetssheet 2 Patented Jan. 24, 1933 UNITED STATES.

4PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. ARTHUR, OF ANDERSON, DIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 DELCO-REMY CORPORATION, 0F ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE IQNITION APPARATUS Application filed December 30, 1931. Serial No. 583,908.

This invention relates to ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines and more particularly to apparatus for controlling the timing of the ignition in accordance with the engine speed and load conditions. It is among the objects of the invention to provide engine suction operated means for controlling the timing of the ignition and which can be constructed as a unit separate from the ignition timer and can be readily attached to the ignition timer without in any way changing its construction. In the present invention this object is accomplished by applying to the shank of the ignition timer housing a clamp arm connected with a suction operated diaphragm contained in a diaphragm housing mounted upon a bracket and hold-down plate which maintains the shank of the timer housing in a well provided in the frame of the engine with which the timeris associated. The hold-down plate may be shifted Yrelative to the engine frame by means manually adjustable from the drivers seat. In lany event the movement of the diaphragm effects relative movement between the clamp arm and the hold-down bracket and thus rotates the ignition timer'housing and circuit interrupter therein relative to the timer cam to control the timing of the ignition in accordance with engine load conditions.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention'is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1. is partly a structural plan view and 1 partly a diagram of ignition apparatus embodying the present invention, the part shown in section being taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 4. Y Figs. 2 and 3 are charts showing the operation of the invention.

Fig. 4.shows the ignition timer distributor unit partly in longitudinal sections, the sections being taken on the lines 4-4 and 4a4a of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 lis a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Flg; 1.

Referring to Fig. 4 the ignition timer comprises a-housing 20 having a shank`21 provided with a bearing 22 for a. timer drive 55l shaft 23 which is driven by the engine by gearing not shown. The shank 21 has a bearing portion 24 which fits ina well 25 provided by the frame of the engine., The shaft 23 drives a weight plate 3Q carrying studs 31 on 60 which are pivotally mounted weights 32 hav-- ing arms 33 engaging levers 34 attached to a sleeve 35 which is rotatable about the upper end portion 36 of the shaft 23 and which provides a cam 37. Referring to Fig. 1 the cam 65 37 engages a rubbing block 38 of a. circuit breaker lever 39 carrying a Contact 40 cooperating with a contact 41 which is grounded. The lever' 39 is insulatingly pivoted .at 42.

A leaf spring conductor 43 conducts current 70 to the lever 39 from a strap 44 connected with an insulated terminal 45. The cam 37 drives a distributor rotor 46 carrying a central button 47 engaging a center contact 48 of the distributor head 49. The contact47 is mounted 75 on a spring 50 connected with a distributing segment 51 -which moves past distributor post 52. The weights 33 are urged inwardly toward the shaft 36 by springs 55 connecting studs 31 with studs 56 carried by arms 34.- 80 Obviously as the speed increases the .weights 32 fly outwardly to rotate the sleeve 35 clockwise relative to the shaft 36 and thus toV advance the timing of the ignition, the direction of rotation of the shaft 37 being clockwise.

' The ignition timer thus far described is a conventional form of ignition timer distributor which has been selected to show how the present invention can be applied thereto without change. To the shank bearing portion 24 there is secured anarm having clamping members 61 which can be drawn tightlyAa-round the part 24 by tightening a nut 62 on a screw y 63 which passes through tubular portions 64 9.5 provided by the clamp arm 61. The arm 60 is connected by a screw 65, and nut 65a with a bar 66 which extendsthrough a hole 67 iny vides a seat for a spring 77 and to a washer 78, al1 of these parts being located between the riveted over end of the rivet 74 and the .head 79 of the rivet which is elongated to provide a stop for limiting movement of the diaphragm 71 toward the right.` The housing member 72 carries a.threaded bushing 8,0 to which is attached a cap 81 providing a seat 82 for the right hand end of the spring 78. The cap 81 receives a connection 83 for a flexible metal tube 84 connected by connection 85 with an engine intake manifold 86. The engine throttle valve is indicated at 87 and is operated by any suitable means connected-with the valve shaft 88.

Referring to Fig. 2, curve a-b-c shows the approximate intake manifold vacuum that will prevail when the throttle is opened to cause the engine to produce road torque at various speeds from idle to about 80 miles per hour. By road torque is meant theI torque required to be developed by the engine inorder to propel the vehicle over a level road. It willy be understood that while the curve a-b-c may represent intake manifold 'vacuum for some particular engine, this curve is generally characteristic of automotive vehicle engines. At low vehicle speeds the road torque is low, hence the carburetory throttle 87 is nearly closed and the intake manifold suction is high. Point b is the highest point on the curve -a-b-c and corresponds to a speed of about l2 miles per hour. As the car speed is increased beyond 12 miles per hour by opening the throttle 87, the vacuum in the intake manifold decreases. At wide open throttle producing maximum car speed the vacuum will be very low. Curve d-e represents intake manifold vacuum at wide open throttle operating under full load conditions. At low speed the vacuum is very low and increases slightly as the speed increases.

The suction control is coordinated with the centrifugal control. Referring to Fig. 3 curve f-g`L-f is the spa-rk advance curve lfor part throttle or road torque operating conditions as effected jointly by the centrifugal control and the suction control. Curve j-c-Z is the spark-advance curve for fullload, ywide-open throttle operating conditions. The spring 77 normally locates the arm 60 in full retard position as indicated by line j-c in Fig. 3. Under part throttle conditions, the manifold vacuum is 10 Hg. at about 2 miles per hour as represented by point a of curve a-b-c. The spring 77 is calibrated so that it will permit .full movement of the arm 60 toward the right to advance the spark when the intake vacuum is A10 Hg. or more. Therefore between O and 10 miles per hour, between which speedsthe centrifugal advance is non-operative, the spark is advanced by suction alone to about 61/2o as indicated by line f-g. Beyond 10 miles per hour at part load the 61/2c advance effected -by suction is added to the advance effected by centrifugal means, so that, between 2 and 62 miles fper hour the spark advance is the sum of the advances effected by. suction means and centrifugal means and is represented by lineg-L. Above 62 miles per hour und-er road torque operating conditions, the intake vacuum will decrease below 10 Hg., and the spark will be retarded by spring 77. The decrease of spark advance is represented by curve lt-. Vhen full load comes on the engine the intake manifold suction falls below 10 Hg., and the spring 7 7 is permitted to retard the spark ,as much as 61/2O of retard in the example vcontrolleroperates to ret-ard the timing of l the ignitionv under full load conditionsin order to secure improved engine performance and operates to advance the ignition under part load operating conditions in 'or.

der to secure better engine economy.

Manual control of spark timing can be eff ected by moving a Bowden wire 92 encased in a flexible tube 62 and attached by a screw 94 to a stud 93 swivelly connected to the bracket 69. The bracket 69 is held down upon the engine frame 98 by a screw stud 95 threaded into a tapped hole in the engine frame 98 surrounding the well 25. The head of the screw 95 passes through an arcuate slot 99 in the bracket 69 and retains a spring 96 bearing against a washer 97 which bears against the bracket 69.

While the form of embodiment -of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all com! a circuit breaker carried by the housing, ay

cam driven by said shaft for operating the circuit breaker, a plate member secured to the shank of thehousing and located adjacent a the side of the plate member remote from said surface of the engine frame, means connecting the hold-down member to the engine trame while permitting rotation of the housing by the plate member,and`liuid pressure operated means responsive to engine operation for varying the angular relation between the two members.

2. Ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a housing having a tubular shank providing a bearing and adapted to be journalled in a well provided by the frame of an engine, a shaft journalled in the bearing of the shank, a circuit breaker carried by the housing, a cam driven by said shaft for operating the circuit breaker, a plate member secured to the shank of the housing and located adjacent a surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down member located against the side of the plate member remote from said surface of the engine frame, means cona housing having a tubular shank providing` a bearingand adapted to be journalled in a well provided by the frame of an engine, a

shaft j ournalled in the bearing of the shank,

a circuit breaker carried by the housing, a

cam driven by said shaft for operating the.

circuit breaker, a clamping-plate member tightly embracing the shank of the housing and located against the surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down plate member loosely embracing the housing shankli and located against the clamping-plate mem' ber, means connecting hold-down late member with said engine frame sur ace, while permlttmg rotation of the clamping-plate member, and fluid pressure operated means responsive to engine operation for varying c-)he angular relation between the two memers.

4. .Ignition apparatus for an internal combustron engine comprising, in combination, a housing having a tubular shank providing a Vbearing and adapted to be journalled in a well provided by the frame of an engine, a shaft j ournalled in the bearing of the shank, a circuit breaker carried by the housing, a cam driven by said shaft for operating the circuit breaker, a plate member secured to the shank of the housing and located adjacent a surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down member located against the the side of the plate member remote from said surface of the engine frame, means connecting Lhe hold-down member to the engine frame while permitting rotation of the housing by the plate member, manually voperable means for moving the hold-down member, and means for connecting the two members and for varying the angular relation between them in response to engine load conditions.

5. Ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a housing having a tubular shank providing a bearing and adapted to bejournalled in 'a well provided by the frame of an engine, a shaft journalled in the bearing of the shank, a circuit breaker carried by the housing, a cam driven by said shaft for operating the circuit breaker, a clamping-plate member tightly embracing the shank of the housing and located against the surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down plate member loosely embracing the housing shank and located against the clamping-plate member, means connecting hold-down plate member with said engine frame surface, while permitting rotation of the clamping-plate member, manually operable means for moving the holdedown plate member, and means for connecting the two members and for varying the angular relation between them in response to engine load conditions.

6. Ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a

housing having a tubular shank providing a bearing andv adapted to be journalled in a well provided by the frame of an engine, means journalled in said bearing for effecting operation of the ignition apparatus, a plate member secured to the shankof the housing and located adjacent a surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down member located against the side of the plate member remote from said surface of the en'- gine frame, means connecting the hold-down member to the envine frame while permitting rotation of the housing by the plate member, and fluid pressure operated means responsive to engine operation for varying the angular relation between the two members.

`7. Ignition apparatus for yan internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, a housing having@ tubular shank adapted to be j ournalled in a well provided bythe frame of an engine, a plate member 4secured to the shank of the housing and located adjacent a surface of the engine frame providing the well,a hold-down member located against the side of the vplate member remote from said surface of the engine frame, means connecting the hold-down member to the engine frame while permitting rotation of the housing by the plate member, and uid pressure operated means responsive to Vengine operation for varying the angular relation between the J:,wo members.

5 8. Ignition apparatus forV an internal combustion engine comprising, in combination a housinghaving a tubular shank adapted to be journalled in a well provided by the :frame of an engine, a plate member secured to the shank of the housing and located adjacent a surface of the engine frame providing the well, a hold-down member located a ainst the side ofthe plate member remote rom said surface of the engine frame, means connecting the hold-down member to the engine frame while permitting rotation of the housing by the plat-e member, and means responsive to engine operationv for varying the angular relation between the two members in accordance with engine produced'suction.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix my signature. v

JAMES L. ARTHUR.- 

